My First Shoot - Valencia, Spain

Once upon a time, back in the day when I was student teaching, I had my very first teacher assessment with the director of the program and my two mentor teachers. I remember I had prepared so much for that thing until I probably annoyed all the people around me with the songs we'd sing and the information I'd cover.

Anyone want to take a guess as to what happened?

I bombed it.

BIG time.

After my head stopped spinning and I recovered enough to drag myself out of bed the next day, I think I actually referred to it as a "Kindergarten Cop experience". Not kidding. It was pure chaos. Kids were standing on chairs, lights were flashing on and off, I barely got all the kids' coats on before they ran out the door... I seriously wanted to quit the program right then and there, it was so humiliating.

I didn't quit, though. I stuck it out and went on to be the very first kindergarten teacher at The International School of Monterey, and still later to teach at various English academies in Valencia. Yay for perseverance!

Why am I digging up such a traumatic past experience? Well, because, my friends, as I walked away from the park last Monday after my very first photo shoot, those memories came flooding back to me. I guess it was when, after the first ten minutes of (finally) taking some photos (after I'd kicked the soccer ball around a bit with the boys, and asked them questions and let them run around to let them get used to the surroundings...etc), both of the older boys, Juan and Hugo were like, "ok, we're done. Let's go play!", and I didn't really know what to do. I had prepared so well to get them to relax and have a good time with me, they only wanted to play and forget about the photography thing all together!

I wasn't prepared for that.

Plus, my exposure was all over the place because the light was changing, and sweet little Daniel was so curious about the park, the last thing he wanted to do was to sit down.

Half way through the shoot I started thinking, "What am I thinking? I can't do this. I may take some nice pictures here and there, but I'm no photographer."

But, since this was my first real job with a "stranger", I brushed those thoughts away so I could try to pull it together. And then I found it - A tree!

And the good shots started coming.

I'll admit it.  Bribery was used. I used the same tricks I use with my own girls. I got some really bored looks too. But, in the end I got the shots I wanted, and I don't think the boys had to struggle through too much. I might even say that they had a pretty good time (when we weren't taking the pictures!)

I  know I still have a long way to go before I can be called a professional, but I'm glad I took the plunge. It's very different taking pictures for people you don't know, but it's a challenge I think I will enjoy more and more once I get the hang of it! I was so lucky to have such a supportive family to work with.

Heather, thank you so much for being so awesome! Your boys are out of this world, and I had a lot of fun with them. Some day, I will probably tell the story of my very first photo shoot - all about these three cutie boys who wanted to play and play and play, but how I kept pushing on until I convinced them to let me take some good shots...